To be included under, “Why the Stereotypes?”

Despite deep-rooted Orientalist representations that are still perpetuated today, there are efforts to diversify and combat their stereotypes. Three artists, Shirin Neshat, Helen Zhughaib, and Nabil Mousa, embody efforts that disrupt typical Orientalist portrayals.

A first image, “Sayed,” of Neshat’s series Our House is on Fire depicts an Arab man humanistically.

The man’s expression of concern is the central subject, as opposed to portraying him in a way that makes him look dangerous or violent. Furthermore, the series itself was produced by the Rauschenberg Foundation, which believes that “art can encourage and change the dialogue for challenging international issues” (“Sayed” 2016). The collection and this image specifically work to expand representations of Arabs in modern art. With the simplistic and personal nature of the photo, Sayed is given a soul that many Orientalist artworks lack.

Secondly, in Secrets Under the ‘Abaya, Helen Zhughaib challenges the one-dimensional nature of Arab female portrayals in Orientalist art. Zhughaib has stated that this particular work was created “in response to the increasingly negative perceptions of Islam and Muslim culture” (Ferguson, 2011). Zhughaib acts on this purpose by incorporating uncommon, thought-provoking details in her work to build different impressions of these cultures.

In the middle of three panels, a women thinks, “I am not who you think I am.” This dialogue causes the viewer to question the women’s identity and all that is typically associated with it. As opposed to the 19th century art where women are sexualized and exoticized, Zhughaib paints female characters with individual identities, accentuated by the different colors, shapes, and styles of her figures. There are no exaggerated body shapes, male-female power dynamics, or rituals of unveiling women involved. Zhughaib’s fresh perspective on Arab women adds depth and versatility to a largely homogeneous body of work on Arab women.

Finally, Nabil Mousa strongly demonstrates what it means to be an artist challenging Orientalist portrayals. As a gay male artist, Mousa incorporates these two identities into his artworks to challenge stereotypical notions of Arab culture and Arab men. With pieces like “Burka #16,” Mousa questions conceptions of femininity, masculinity, oppression, and other notions with well-defined Orientalist representations.

As seen in the 19th century and Medieval art, the usual representations of Arab men and women include exoticism, sexualization and violence. In this work specifically, Mousa intermingles clothing associated with Arab women with his identity as a gay male artist. This radically different approach throws out the usual stereotypes and challenges viewers conceptions of Arab identity, culture, sexuality and art.

Each of these artists depicts Arabs and Arab culture through a different approach: humanistic portrayal of a single person, varied studies of women, and a challenging artwork combining contradictory identities. These works offer a fresh perspective desperately needed to reverse the impact, little by little, that Orientalism continues to have. By supplying views of Arabs previously undocumented or not widely publicized Neshat, Zhughaib, and Mousa exemplify artists fighting against Orientalism in the modern day.

References:

Exchange: Sayed. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://exchange.umma.umich.edu/resources/2896/view

Ferguson, B. (2011, August). Painter Helen Zughaib: A Foot in Two Countries and Two Cultures. Retrieved from https://www.wrmea.org/011-august/painter-helen-zughaib-a-foot-in-two-countries-and-two-cultures.html

Luongo, M. T. (2018, January 12). Arab and Coming Out in Art That Speaks Up. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/arts/design/lgbt-artists-arab-american-national-museum.html

By: Amber Mitchell

The 19th century brought with it an explosion of Orientalist art and problematic depictions of Arabs and the Middle East, particularly through the work of French painters during this time. These artists depicted Arabs as exotic and oftentimes sexualized them, playing into the belly dancer/harem girl stereotype that perpetuated art focusing on Arabs. Women presented in a lot of these artworks were depicted in their private quarters, positioned as objects of the male gaze – they weren’t supposed to be seen in this space, but the fact that they are presents them as sexually available for male pleasure.  

Eugène Delacroix, a Romantic artist who used a lot of color in his work, frequently presented Arab individuals in his paintings and displayed these “exotic” scenes. His travels, to Algeria, Spain, and Morocco, gave him inspiration, and he became enamored with the things he saw that they began to feature in varying elements of his paintings. One of his widely discussed pieces, Women of Algiers in Their Apartment, highlights three young women lounging together in their private room.

Eugene Delacroix, Women of Algiers in Their Apartment. 1834. Oil on canvas. Taken from Jaber Stiffler, Matthew. “Orientalism and the Legacy of Imperialism.” University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 20 September 2018. Lecture.

The ways in which these women are being displayed in a room that would normally just be for them and of which no men were allowed access contributes to this idea of the “male gaze” and the fantasy of “unveiling” Arab women to see them in ways that they are not normally seen (without hijab, in their intimate quarters, etc…). Ultimately, this contributes to Orientalist stereotypes of Arabs as either mystical and exotic or dangerous and foreign.

Another artist whose work contributed to the Orientalist ideas that Edward Said discusses in his work was Jean-Léon Gérôme. His piece, The Snake Charmer, presents a naked snake charmer in a beautifully tiled blue room performing in front of a group of several men who are slumped against the back of the wall. The beautiful tiles of the room contribute to the idea that Arab culture and the Arab world is something mysterious and magical, along with the woman who is charming the large snake. In addition, we again see the male gaze at work as the focus of the painting is on the charmer’s naked body, expressing the idea that the Arab world is this exotic place where women are sexually available. The haze present in the painting along with the music played from the flutist work to further create a sense of a space that is mystical and exotic.

Gérôme, Jean-Léon. The Snake Charmer. 1879. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.

All together, 19th century artworks such as these create a distinction that separates the “East” from the “West,” and constructs Arabs and the Arab World as a place that is mysterious and exotic. These works also contribute to the male gaze and the fantasy of “unveiling Arab women” and viewing them in intimate positions that they would not usually be viewed. As a result, the Arab world is seen as backwards, foreign, and inherently different from the West, while the West is perceived as normal, thus working to justify unequal treatment and oppression of Arab individuals.

Huyghe, René. “Eugène Delacroix.” Encyclopedia Brittanica, Brittanica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eugene-Delacroix.

Jaber Stiffler, Matthew. “Orientalism and the Legacy of Imperialism.” University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 20 September 2018. Lecture.

Johnson, Jones. “Jean-Léon Gérôme: orientalist fantasy among the impressionists.” The Guardian. 3 July 2012. Web.

“Veils, Harems, and Belly Dancers.” Reclaiming Identity: Arab American Stereotypes, Arab American National Museum, http://arabstereotypes.org/why-stereotypes/what-orientalism/veils-harems-belly-dancers.

 

By: Noah Keeler-Seiser

INTRODUCTION: 

Orientalism, by Edward Said, is one of the most widely-regarded works on Arab and Near-Eastern depictions in Western media and culture. It is an all-encompassing, thorough exploration of the East through Western eyes, and to this day it is very applicable in the United States.

Even as depictions of different cultures and ethnicities grow more diverse, film, news, books and various media continue to cement misconceptions into the Western psyche. What is important to note, however, is that these misconceptions and stereotypes were not ‘invented’ during the 20th century in response to geopolitical conflict of immigration. I would argue that they merely evolved, finding a strong foundation in the artistic and cultural heritage of the West.

The othering and demonizing of, the grim hostility towards and alluring fascination with the East, did not begin with films like Son Of The Sheik or Lawrence Of Arabia, nor can it be traced to the travel journals of colonialists. Orientalism is a deep-rooted facet of Western culture, and it can find its oldest, firmest origins in the medieval, Gallic imagination.

SARACENS: The Foreign And The Threatening

I use ‘Gallic’ to describe the various peoples of medieval France and mainland Europe, who produced manuscripts, compendiums, and illustrations that captured their views of the world (Bertrand 4). While Europe was not homogeneous in its views, events like the Crusades and various geopolitical conflicts brought its denizens face to face with the mysterious, exotic, and dangerous people that they called ‘Saracens.’

Saracens were the Muslim denizens of the Levant, North-Africa, and Spain. ‘Saracen’ itself is a biblical term, not a derogatory one, as Europeans thought Muslims to be descendants of Sara, the wife of Noah. In medieval literature and illustration, they were often depicted as warriors on horseback, clashing with the knightly heroes of Frankish lore and Spanish myth.

In the chansons de geste, epic poems that embellished French history and the life of Charlemagne, Saracens often came in hordes, a foreign enemy that fought alongside pagans, barbarians, and polytheists. They could be assigned almost demonic traits, fighting with vitriol in the blood and power in the sword-arm, wearing strange hides.

This is especially clear in La Chanson De Roland, the most famous of its contemporary tales, where Saracens are little more than foreign foes working with one of King Charles’ traitorous vassals, Ganelon. This is also true in The Conquest Of Orange, the tale of the Cid, and similar works.

I would posit that this literature was the animus for Said’s ideas of Saracens being objects of “terror, devastation, the demonic, hordes of hated barbarians… a lasting trauma” in the collective mind of Europeans, and his argument certainly has merit. The depiction of Muslims, Arabs, and North-Africans in all aforementioned works is less than satisfactory and draws many parallels to the terrorist mooks and cunning villains of modern, blockbuster action flicks that never fail to take the theater screen.

Turbans and weapons are recurring images, priming fear. The value of Arab life is cheap, priming indifference. And the consistency between films that exemplify these issues and the ancient stories of France and Spain suggest that vilifying Arabs and Muslims is even deeper-rooted in the Western psyche than many critiques suggest.

A THOUSAND YEARS OF STEREOTYPES:

British and French colonialism, and later, American involvement in the Middle East (I use ‘involvement’ loosely) have only emulated the encounters of the past, and though they have long faded into obscurity, they are still borrowed from and mediated upon by Western leaders. Even as a child, infatuated with knights and history, I vividly remembered when George W. Bush said, “I am on a crusade to end terrorism.”

I would never make the damning assertion that Western depictions, medieval or modern, are entirely consistent, but the student of orientalism must understand the complexity and difficulty of unraveling a thousand years of otherness, hostility, exoticism, and anger.

Mass media and interconnectedness alone have not mitigated these issues, and these ‘issues’ should not be understated. Artwork, literature, film and other media are not inconsequential. They are important aspects of our socialization and world-view. When depictions of a people are misconstrued and rife with lies, the worst possible result is bad foreign policy, vengeful attitudes, and ignorance.

Like modern Saracens, countless groups can be blanketed with the same lies and stereotypes. Sikhs can be mistaken for Muslims and attacked. Entire countries can be condemned by political leaders. This is not what progress looks like. It is regression to medieval ignorance.

REFERENCES:

Andrade, M. C. (2000). El Cid. New York: McGraw Hill Glencoe.

Bertrand, B. (2015, April 28). Monstrous Muslims? Depicting Muslims In French Illuminated Manuscript Art. Retrieved December 2, 2018, from https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1237&context=honors

Robertson, H. S. (1972). The song of Roland. La Chanson de Roland. London: Dent.

Said, E. W. (2006). Orientalism. Brantford, Ont.: W. Ross MacDonald School, Resource Services Library.